Lingap

Lingap

Conceptualized in 2010 and was one of the first flagship programs of the Foundation

An infrastructure development program that builds drinking, handwashing, and toothbrushing facilities in public institutions such as schools and health centers

149,281 individuals served nationwide

In the Philippines, the Department of Education recognizes the importance of water access, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in schools to attain the learning outcomes for children. This is aligned with one of the targets of the Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality Education, wherein schools should provide handwashing stations with clean water and soap to encourage staff and pupils to practice good handwashing habits.1 2 3

Committed to this advocacy, Manila Water Foundation has been implementing its Lingap program since 2010. Lingap is a flagship program that provides access to safe, potable water which students, teachers, staff and government employees can use in drinking, handwashing or toothbrushing in public institutions such as schools, health centers and city halls. Through Lingap, the Foundation was able to collaborate with corporate foundations, hygiene brands and non-government organizations to serve more individuals across the country.

Joining Hands Against Absenteeism

According to the Global Handwashing Partnership (2004), children miss a cumulative 272 million schooldays annually because of diarrhea and other communicable diseases. Proper handwashing has been found to be an effective do-it-yourself vaccine to reduce school absenteeism that is caused by diarrhea, influenza and conjunctivitis by up to 50%.

One of Lingap’s biggest milestones in advancing proper handwashing and water access in schools was its partnership with consumer goods corporation and hygiene partner Procter & Gamble (P&G) Philippines. The collaboration was aptly named as the Lingap – Linis Lusog Kabataan (Care – Clean and Healthy Youth) project, providing 12 Lingap facilities in Taguig City, Zamboanga City, Davao City, and Cebu province. P&G Philippines’s soap brand Safeguard also built 20 hygiene facilities in Antipolo City, Rizal. The donations came with hygiene kits; handwashing and toothbrushing posters and signages; as well as proper handwashing and toothbrushing lectures to sustain the efforts.

Cantumog Elementary School in Carmen, Cebu is one of the recipients of the Lingap - Linis Lusog Kabataan collaboration. One of its teachers, Antonia Everdida, recalled the challenges her pupils faced because of the lack of access to clean and potable water. "I had a Grade 4 student who was always absent and he said that one of the reasons he got sick is because of microbes,” she said in Cebuano. “We used to have very limited facilities, but now we are very grateful to have this. This is a big help for the school children,” she said in Filipino.

A Story of Hope

Majority of the Lingap facilities built in 2019 were in schools. One exception is the construction of the hygiene facilities in a children’s village. Recognizing the importance of proper hygiene in the growth and welfare of children, ABS-CBN Foundation tapped Manila Water Foundation to construct two five-faucet hygiene facilities at the Bantay Bata 163 Children’s Village. Intended to be used by 86 child residents, the facilities are located at the Village's playground and the basketball court to reiterate the importance of washing hands especially after playing.

Maria Cristina Pasion, Officer in Charge and Supervising Social Worker of Bantay Bata 163 Children's Village, mentioned that children go to the play areas every day from 3pm to 5pm. “The facility will provide them a conscious effort to wash their hands after playing and before eating snacks, which they can apply when they go back to their cottages.”

She also pointed out that the facilities help reiterate the proper handwashing habit. “Through the help of the Quezon City Social Services Department, children were rescued from the streets. The habit of taking care of their personal hygiene is one of the things that we teach at Children’s Village,” she said. “The donation helped in strengthening the Children’s Village’s preventive health program that aims to support the children’s personal hygiene. Because of this opportunity, we are able to instill these practices to them, particularly on handwashing and toothbrushing,” she added.

The Village not only provides shelter but also gives love and hope for rescued children.

These are just some of the notable collaborations that bore fruit in 2019. Overall, Lingap was able to provide accessible hygiene facilities to 149,281 individuals.